Thanks to an endless list of VSTs, effects, and software instruments available online, music producers can replicate a room full of musical tools and gear in a computer using plugins. As one of the world’s most popular Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs), Logic Pro is packed with a plethora of invaluable audio effects and VST plugins. However, many seasoned producers prefer to add third-party plugins to their DAWs to expand their library.

If you’ve been producing music for a while, you’ve probably felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of different plugins available to purchase. The list of software developers creating audio effects and virtual instruments for DAWs is always expanding. One of the relatively new kids around the block is Baby Audio. Since 2019, this company has managed to grow its user base to more than 400,000 music producers, along with winning a bunch of awards from reputable magazines for its popular plugins.

Most premium plugins come with price tags, and that is true for most of Baby Audio’s collections. Because of this, getting your hands on all popular plugins can cost you thousands of dollars. Therefore, it is critical to invest your time and money into tools and gear that suit your needs and goals as a music producer. In this post, I’ll provide an honest review of some of Baby Audio’s most popular plugins and determine whether or not you should spend your money on them. Here’s a quick look at the plugins I mention in this article:

1. Atoms
2. TAIP Tape Emulator
3. Comeback Kid
4. Smooth Operator

If you want to purchase any of the plugins listed below, you can use my coupon code CHARLES20 to get a 20% discount.

1. Atoms

Atoms by Baby Audio is a powerful virtual synthesizer that integrates physical modeling to generate a variety of sounds. The Atoms plugin is one of the best synthesizer VSTs you can install on Logic Pro. Baby Audio claims that this technique allows the plugin to simulate the behavior of real-life instruments by generating sounds with the same organic fluctuations as acoustic instruments.

The Atom’s interface is pretty straightforward. Unlike most other synth plugins that throw a bunch of different controls at your face, the Atoms give you six primary control knobs. This minimal approach makes Atoms an excellent tool for quickly mangling, shaping, and creating new sounds.

Moreover, the plugin’s bottom panel gives you additional effects to adjust your sound to your liking. Things like movement, modulation, and vibrato allow musicians and sound engineers to further sculpt the sound they are after. Lastly, Baby Audio’s Atoms comes with 250 presets, ranging from bright and natural instruments to darker sci-fi sounds. You can purchase Baby Audio’s Atoms for $59 on its official website.

2. TAIP Tape Machine Emulator

Although Logic Pro comes with a lot of valuable effect plugins and virtual instruments, saturation effects are not very common in this DAW. Therefore, most music producers have to rely on third-party plugins. Emulating the saturation and other characteristics of analog tape machines is one of the most popular effects music makers use to add warmth and character to their tracks.

Baby Audio’s TAIP is a killer tape machine emulator that uses artificial intelligence to authentically recreate a 1971 European tape machine’s behavior. It is one of the best AI-powered plugins to install on Logic Pro.

The plugin is praised for offering an impressively faithful representation of what it is modeled after. However, the classic tape machine effect is not where TAIP’s limits are. The plugin can go well beyond traditional tape saturation, flutter, and noise sound effects. Baby Audio encourages users to ‘drive it hard’ and create interesting new dynamics within their projects. The TAIP plugin is currently priced at $79 on Baby Audio’s website.

3. Comeback Kid

The Comeback Kid is a delay/echo plugin that replicates the characteristics of vintage analog delays. Besides the basic controls of creating delay effects, Baby Audio has packed this plugin with a bunch of features to shape the sonic characteristics of your wet signal.

The plugin features a Chorus knob that allows you to add subtle modulations to the delayed signal. Moreover, you can control parameters such as Distortion and Wash to add the distinctive texture you’d get from analog delays. Comeback Kid also comes with a built-in low-cut filter, allowing you to roll off the lower-end frequencies of your wet signal for a clearer sound.

You can apply most of these features one by one if you learn to use buses and sends for your delay signals. However, the Comeback Kid plugin has the advantage of offering all of those effects in one package, making it easier and less time-consuming to create desirable delay sounds for your tracks. Baby Audio’s Comeback Kid comes at $59.

4. Smooth Operator

Finding and dealing with small hiccups, unwanted resonances, and fatigued frequencies among multiple tracks in a Logic Pro session is certainly not the most exciting task in the music production process. Baby Audio’s Smooth Operator is a powerful yet simple-to-use plugin that promises to make that process much less time-consuming.

Smooth Operator uses complex algorithms to automatically eliminate harsh resonances and bring out clarity. Moreover, you can use this plugin to manually sculpt a track’s frequencies. This can be anything from de-essing your vocals or attenuating the muddiness in the mid-range of the frequency spectrum. You can also use it on your mix signal to address all of your tracks in one place.

Smooth Operator is impressively practical, giving you the freedom to spend less time on tweaking small things and smoothing out unwanted sounds. You can purchase Smooth Operator on Baby Audio’s website for $79.

Final Verdict: Who Should Get Baby Audio Plugins

Baby Audio offers a wide range of plugins for different purposes. However, even if you go with the company’s complete bundle, it is still not an all-in-one solution for all the tools required for music production. So, don’t think spending $300 on plugins can magically answer all your needs as a music maker. That being said, the quality of Baby Audio’s plugins in their respective areas is quite impressive, making them valuable additions to your arsenal of tools.

Who are Baby Audio plugins for? If you’re a music producer who wants ready-to-go plugins that sound good without spending hours tweaking all the little details, Baby Audio plugins can be excellent investments. Baby Audio’s user-friendly design language, coupled with the algorithms integrated into each unit, makes the plugins valuable tools for musicians who want to spend more time creating and less time adjusting knobs and faders.

On the other hand, if you’re a seasoned audio engineer and want to have complete control over all the facets of your sound, you might want to look elsewhere for third-party plugins.

If you want to purchase Baby Audio plugins, make sure to use my referral code CHARLES20 for a 20% discount. For more lessons about music production, songwriting, mixing, and mastering, check out my Free 6 Pillars To Learn Logic Pro Faster guidebook.